All About Pups...The Late-May-/Slash/-Early-June-Summer-Blog-posting!

Lou Ferrigno, as "The Incredible Hulk", Friday nights on CBS...circa 1978.

Oh...How times have changed!--Remember a few weeks ago when those gnarly green nubs that were poking out of last years smelly banana stumps?  Now what have we got?  Big Green Monsters!  The energy from the 2013's big plants is now funneled into explosive growth.  We'll continue to see this for another few months if we get decent rainfall.  Things will be looking up from the bananas point of view.

Pup-mania-- Calls, emails, random passers-by at the Charleston Farmers Market, etc., all with the same question, "Why are my banana plants pullulating* so much this Spring?"   Banana plants don't really 'know' the seasons.  All they know is that something, somehow, removed the growing portion of the plant.  In the tropics, it could be eaten by an animal or a fallen tree may have broken the banana plant in half.  The results are the same: Send out new growth.  This could be a replacement stem and/or new growth in the form of pups. 

Don't Forget--to Water.  May has been pretty dry.

Should the Zombie Apocalypse come to fruition, sooner rather than later, rest assured that your banana plants can be the key to your survival.  In addition to the great fruit that you may get, if conditions are right, there are many uses for the banana plant itself.  Many of these uses can be seen in this very interesting video:

Pup Chow--If you watched the video above, you may have seen the part about eating the inner core of the stem( at the 9:57 mark).  Here is a Thai recipe that looks like a delicious way to use some of those excess pups.  Eat those pups! Step by Step recipe.

When you get full of those delicious pups for dinner, consider transplanting some.  It is an easy project.  Place a shovel between the mother plant and the pup and dig straight down.  You should see the pup loosen.  Dig around the remaining sides and the pup should pop right up.  Trim the leaves in half and transplant in a desired location.
 
If you have ever wondered how they get those bananas from very tall plants, check out this video.  You can see it is a very smooth operation when done by skilled hands.

  

The How's it Hangin' section:  We got nothin'...yet.
When you get a flower or fruit, send some pictures our way and we'll post them up in our very next blog! 

*pullulating-definition

The Pre-Ides of March Update

Banana Plants on Folly Beach!...Just Kidding.(actually the Samoan Islands)

Hello to everyone.  This is, of course, the first Simply Banana Update of 2013.  I hope that everybody is doing well and had a great LowCountry Winter.  It seems that it was a mild Winter so far.  We are always prone to a Spring frost, but I'm guessing that we are past the serious danger zone.  If this is true, then it looks like we'll have another very good year of fruit production.

Time for Trim?-- Well probably.  After studying the weather, I decided to trim the old frozen leaves off(yesterday) and get the plants ready for the warming temperatures.   In some cases I found a partially green leaf that had emerged. 

Trimmed up it would look something like this:

Also--where I saw no leaf, I cut away all the top 'branches'.  Inside I found this:

Two Days later...it looked like this:

Its important not to cut the trunk parallel to the ground so make an angled cut.  This is done to reduce constriction on the new leaf.
Remember that the first leaf will be ugly as it will show cold damage and tends to shred easily.  As more leaves emerge, shredding eases and classic banana form takes hold.  The old leaves/trunks can be used as compost/mulch or dragged to the curb.

While you are waiting--for Spring to get here, enjoy this video about the Fruit Hunters.  There is some great banana information in here as well. 

Before the freeze in January, we were able to cut some of our undersized green bananas and stored them in the garage.

They are very slowly ripening and taste really good.  One thing we learned was that the more dark spots the banana had the sweeter it was.

Eight(8) Years...I was fortunate be invited back to the Charleston Farmer's Market for my eight season.  Look for us beginning  April 13.  I will also be a vendor at the the Mount Pleasant Farmer's Market starting on April 16th.
Come see us!

The How's it Hanging Section--

These Ice Creams probably won't make it.  Pretty Sad!

That's it!  See you next time!

Keep up with Simply Bananas on Facebook!

Don't forget to leave your comments.

The Early Fall Update

When will the Bananas be ready?

Have patience...they'll ripen up soon!

October marks the beginning of the end of the growing season for our Banana plants.   Leaf production slows down and old leaves begin to yellow and brown.  They can certainly be trimmed and discarded, or mulched around the base of the plants.  Keep watering on warm days.  Don't be surprised as there will be quite a few late bloomers here in the next 6-8 weeks.

Late Bloomin' Raja Puris....Dang it!

OK--Your well supported bunches of fruit may need a little attention.  It is probably time to remove the flower pod.  You can remove it when there is 16"-18" of space from the last bunch of bananas to the top of the bud.  They say this will force energy into the ripening fruits instead of flower production.   You intentionally leave that 'tail' beneath the fruit as it tends to protect the lower fruits from drying out.

Dwarf Namwahs with 'tail'.

Close up of 'tail' drying out.

I expect that we'll start hearing of fruit ripening in the next few weeks.  You can tell when things are getting close as the bananas will lose that 'angular' shape and begin to plump up and fill out.  If they start to yellow 'on the  vine',  you can eat them right away.  One thing about home grown bananas is that they often taste better if the peels brown up a little bit.  Unlike Cavendish/grocery store bananas,  home grown bananas don't really turn mushy as the peel changes color.

Ripe Raja Puris.

The Raja Puri plant that bloomed in May(see photo above) had some fruit ripening.  However...I noticed in late August that the fruits had stopped increasing in size.  Further investigation led me to discover that the waterline for that mat of bananas was blocked and the plants were getting very little water.  That being said, these tiny bananas are just really, really small.  Their taste is outstanding!


 In early September, I wrapped up season 7 of Simply Bananas at the Charleston Farmer's Market.  It is always fun being down there beside the Wife and talking bananas with so many people.  The Truly Tiny, a super dwarf Cavendish type, was especially well received.  I'll be anxious to hear of fruit in the coming years from this exciting new cultivar.  Thanks to everyone for stopping by we had a lot of fun!

Charleston Farmer's Market rare purple bananas EGGPLANTS!

Bananas in the News--From the almost-too-much-information department, Australia's AussieBum Underwear company, has discontinued its Banana Fiber and Cotton men's underwear.  How do I know...Kate tried to get a pair for me for my birthday from them, but had to go the eBay route.  Here was their one and only commercial(sfw) from YouTube:

I figured this would fit in nicely near the How's it Hangin' section!

 

the How's it Hangin' Section

Photos of LowCountry Bananas!

Doc's Ice Cream Bananas from Daniel Island

 

 

 

From Mark in Mount Pleasant

Well supported Orinocos from Folly Beach

More from Folly Beach

Even more from Folly Beach

More from Folly 'Banana' Beach

Belle Bananas from Simply Bananas-James Island

One last Orinoco bunch from Folly 'Banana Beach', SC.

Send your pictures to me,   SimplyBananas1@gmail.com

See you in a few weeks--Enjoy your plants....time is running out!

 

Keep updated even more by clicking this FaceBook Link

 

 

The Late August Update

Hello!--

This past week, the Charleston Horticultural Society, came by for an educational Banana Tour.  We had 20 plus folks traipsing around our mosquito-infested, fired-anted yard to view the 23 varieties of banana plants.  We met many nice folks and had a fine evening.

Nathalie Dupree penned an article on her 4 banana plants with fruit for the Post and Courier.   The story centers on the plethora of fruiting banana plants in Charleston this summer. 
You can access Nathalie's story here:  Low Country Bananas.

Some of Nathalie's recipes call for banana leaves.  You should have plenty.  First soften the leaves in hot water, or over an open flame.  Like this guy!

Tropical Weather--One grower observed that every time his bananas fruit, "it means a hurricane is coming".  Likely a barb that the high winds will blow down the vulnerable plants and he will lose the fruit.  Maybe.  I thought about it a bit, then realized that this is a logical statement.  Warm winters= Bananas in Charleston.   
Also
Warm winters=Warmer Ocean Waters=Low Country Hurricane potential.
Keep an eye on what's rolling up from down south.

Support your Plants--It's always a good idea to support the fruits especially on already leaning plants.  Heavy racks of bananas can often pull over exhausted fruit-bearing trunks.  The easiest method is to lash it to another structure or banana plant with a bungie cord(watch your eye) or rope.  Another way is with a PVC pole with Y connector on the end.  Just prop up the bunch.  The pole can be painted dark green to soothe the eyes. 

In other Banana news:
Reports that regular water and bananas can be better for you than gatorade!  Here's the Linky.
Also:
Are you tired of your bananas rotting before you have eaten them?  A new Spray Gel made from shrimp peels can keep them fresh for days longer.  Perfect for the Lowcountry.  Give it a try!

 
Why not--have a teak table and a banana umbrella?

Another Video--We spent the first weeks of August down in Costa Rica.  Once again we had the pleasure of spending some time at the Paradise Botanical Gardens.

Robert Beatham let me cut down and have a nice bunch of the best Red Bananas! He also sold me the Gros Michele Banana plant(Banana Grande) for the finca.  Gros Michele was what people ate before Panama Disease and Sigatoka forced the big fruit companies to switch to Cavendish types of bananas.  Enjoy the video.

Hows it Hangin'? 
A lot is hangin'.  See for Yourself:

Ice Cream #1 from the Fox banana plantation.  West Ashley.

Ice Cream #2 from the Fox banana plantation.  West Ashley.

 Ben's Bananas--Smith st., Downtown.

 From Billy, way out on James Island

Another from Billy, way out on James Island.

From Joan Perry, Percy St, Downtown. 

From King St.


Another Ice Cream Bunch from Michael, on James Island.

From our house, James Island.  Ornamental Bordelons!
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Keep sending your pictures!

Visit the Simply Bananas Facebook Page
for timely updates! 

See you Next Month!

July 2012-Mid-Summer's Update--Supersized!

Wow--What a scorching start to July.  Dry--Hot--Windy--did I mention dry?  We need some rain to break this heatwave.  While it was not nearly as hot as was forecast for the first week of July, it was well above average.  It seems like this may last for a few days more, so I must advise to keep the hoses handy and water your plants every day.  Yep.

So many Bananas---so little time.  There are hundreds of varieties of bananas and plantains.  Some of the better ones locally are the Thai Bananas(similar to Namwahs) at the very large  H&L Asian Supermarket at 5300 Rivers Ave.  Check it out and have lunch up there any day but Tuesday.

As you will see below-- in the 'Hows it Hangin' section, the fruits are beginning to show up on local plants.  I expect many more to arrive in July.  Keep an eye on the plants as these blooms can sneak up on you.  Here are some key items to look out for:

1. The girth of the plant should be as big as you have ever seen it.--Healthy, as it were.
2. A smaller than normal leaf which may or may not have a red mid-rib-called a Paddle Leaf
3. A tiny shaped leaf--often called a Flag or a Flag Leaf
4. Finally the bloom emerges like a giant ear of corn.

Mulch/Thatch--As you know, I am a big advocate of mulching banana plants for water retention, weed control, and free nutrients.  I mostly use bagged grass clippings(thatch) from around the neighborhood. While looking for thatch, these lines just came to me early one morning...

A Mulch Poem

I went driving around so I could snatch some free thatch.

I looked wide and far and found nary a batch. 

Perhaps the grass was too low for the sack to catch
or the new paper-bags the county requires were not a good match.
I nearly gave up when I noticed a patch
Of over plumped bags in an affluent  cul-de-sac.
Into the van they went 'til I barely shut the hatch
And back home to the bananas for a final dispatch.
Kate said I should scratch the poem about all the free thatch
because of just one line that didn't quite match! 

How's it Hangin'... 

Here we post your pictures of fruit and flowers of local banana plants.

Dwarf Namwah bunch on Edisto Beach

 Junction Lane,  North Charleston

From Eric, at the Banana Plantation

Thats up near Cosmopolitan st.

 

Joppa St. Banana #1

 

Joppa St Banana #2

Dwarf Namwahs at our house...James Island, SC.

Keep sending in your pictures to

SimplyBananas1@gmail.com 

  Thanks!

Remember To:

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The Simply Bananas May 2012 Update

Well....it has been a long time coming....but here's the dang newsletter.

New Technology=New Format--The Simply Bananas non-monthly newsletter had so many subscribers that emailing it out every month/quarter became cumbersome.  The email services that I used required me to send to less than 50 email addresses per time and therefor, that became difficult.  So here we are.  You can always get info from the Simply Bananas Facebook Page page or email me at SimplyBananas1@gmail.com.

Dry--While it has been dry, it has also been windy.  Your few leaves may be torn and in some places shredded.  As long as they are green they are working for the plant, so let them be.  As new leaves arrive, they will create wind resistance and thus minimize the fraying of the lone leaves.  This is another example of how a banana mat can alter its micro climate to help with survival.

Now is the time to trim--take a pair of scissors and cut those dead leaves away.  Take them to the compost heap, the curb, or feed them back to your plants as mulch.  All the fertilizer and nutrients are still held in the the dry material and can be used by growing plants when it is broken down. 

WOW! What a Winter--We had just a few cold spells and plenty of warm sunshine. It seems like we were over due since the last few years winters really whacked our Musas pretty good.  The 'goofy' leaves are nearly finished protruding and we are back to good old regular beautiful banana leaves. 

With warm winters come big banana plants.  With big banana plants come banana flowers and then come bananas.  I've seen 2 twin edibles fruiting on Daniel Island, one Basjoo downtown and finally a Raja Puri will flower here at the Simply Bananas Banana Plantation.  We expect more...a lot more plants to fruit throughout the summer.  In fact, I will wager that 2012 will yield the most edible banana fruits of all time here in the Lowcountry.  Notify us and we'll put you in the blog or the on the Facebook page.  Fruiting plants need a little different care, so if you have a big rack of bananas on your plant, don't be afraid to drop us a note.

Daniel Island Fruits

Downtown Basjoo.

Raja Puri Bloom on James Island

Odds and Ends--I am still at the Charleston Farmer's Market(year 7!), nearly every Saturday from 8-2.  Its been great to see many of you who have stopped by to tell me about your plants.. Thanks!-- We have not moved to Costa Rica.  The farm updates and photos can be viewed at OchoVerde.com.  Here is a silly video of me taking down a huge Saba plant in Costa Rica.

Asparagus....nope...

For whatever reason, the Century Plants are preparing to bloom here in the Lowcountry.  To see pictures and find addresses check out the Lowcountry Century Plant Facebook Page.  If you know of more, add a picture and/or an address.

If you have read this far... you may want to hit the subscribe by email button at the bottom of this blog.  I likely won't be doing more than a couple updates a month.

See ya soon...perhaps in June!